«I HAD THE RIGHT TO WRITE ABOUT AVVAKUM…» V. T. SHALAMOV’S LETTERS TO V. I. MALYSHEV

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to introduce into the academic discourse two letters of V. T. Shalamov (1907–1982) to the archeographer and Old Russian literature scholar V. I. Malyshev (1910–1976). Shalamov’s comments to his poem «Avvakum in Pustozersk» form the bulk of the letters; he provides detailed answers to Malyshev’s questions. The article reconstructs the background of this correspondence, using it, as well as the other sources, to specify Shalamov’s perception of the protagonist of his poem.